How you can feel more body confident
As the weather turns warmer, instead of feeling nervous and anxious about wearing your summer clothes and visiting friends on the beach or by a poolside (wouldn’t that be nice!), here are some simple tips to help regain your body confidence.
Three main aspects that can help you regain acceptance, choice and support
Acceptance – this can come from a simple change of attitude towards yourself, deciding that you will accept living with a visible difference and choosing not to change it. Some people choose to embrace it and make it part of their life. Acceptance is aided by having choice. You choose whether you cover up your visible difference on the days you just don’t want to have to deal with it anymore. And support – whether this comes from family members, friends, colleagues, a support group, or a camaraderie – where you are accepted entirely for who you are regardless of how you look.
Whether you’re able to face life head on, or still think about reducing your visible difference, the three pointers above are still just as important.
Psychological therapy (EMDR/CBT) can also be a great tool to change your perception of your situation and help you learn to live with your visible difference. Getting a referral from someone you trust, having a choice of practitioners and being surrounded by support whilst you are going through the treatment can give you added strength.
Camouflage cream is another alternative that gives you choice, whether you wear it and camouflage the area, or whether you decide not to. Camouflage is a very safe, effective, and economical way of temporarily hiding any scars, birthmarks, skin grafts, hypo-pigmentation, vitíligo and port-wine stains. When a good colour match is achieved and the right product is attained, camouflage cream can cover the visible difference completely. However, this is a temporary solution and one that you need to apply yourself. But, with the right advice and application, this is a process that you’re able to complete within 5 to 10 minutes. This is the perfect option for somebody not looking to do anything permanent but would like the option to use it as and when.
Medical tattooing is an option if you have tried camouflage cream and decide that you would like a more permanent solution. It is performed by a practitioner and will last somewhere between approximately 1 to 4 years. Medical tattooing implants skin coloured pigment into the areas of scarring, skin grafts, hypo-pigmentation, vitiligo and port wine stains to blend it into the surrounding skin tone.
However, there are factors you need to be made aware of:
- You will need to leave 4-10 weeks in between each treatment
- Between two to four treatments are generally required
- It’s advisable to get treatments when your skin is not fully tanned as you need to tattoo the area to your lightest skin tone
- The area will not turn and fade with the rest of your skin
- The visible difference will not disappear, but it can dramatically reduce the visibility of its appearance
- The tattooed area will need to be maintained with sun protection factor 50 during the treatment process to avoid sunburn
Depending on the size of the area, and the retention of the pigment in your particular skin, the process may take weeks, months or even years. This is not a quick fix and needs a great deal of thought and information regarding price, practitioner, safety, expectation and number of sessions required.
I’m happy to answer any questions you may have, so please feel free to get in touch at info@raedenman.co.uk
If you would like to book a free-of-charge phone call, or a full medical consultation please use this direct link to read the FAQ’s and book your appointment online with Rae Denman.
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